GROW UP!

GROW UP!

Heb. 5:12  You have been Christians a long time now, and you ought to be teaching others.  Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things a beginner must learn about the Scriptures.  You are like babies who drink only milk and cannot eat solid food.  NLT

     There is a very real Scriptural and spiritual deficiency in the Church today.  There are many people who attend church all their lives and have very little real awareness of basic Bible texts and how they affect faith.  There are many who have no real understanding of salvation and sanctification.  There are many who do not have a Bible at home, and if they do, never open it during the week.  There are many who have never talked to anyone about soul issues because they are confused themselves.  There are many who do not know how to pray or get very flustered if they are ever asked to pray. 

      It is way past time for Christians to grow up.  We must accept responsibility for our spiritual deficiencies and commit ourselves to spiritual growth.  If we cannot grow in the church we attend, we must find a different church to go to.  We must commit ourselves to helping ourselves to grow.  We must read our Bibles on a consistent and regular basis.  We must discipline ourselves to pray in private and move to being able to pray in public.  We must spend time with spiritually mature people who can teach and lead us.  We must not go along with the crowd but instead, determine in our hearts that we will let Jesus have control of us.  In other words, we need to grow up and grow up fast.

     We need to grow into maturity in faith and we must be willing to reach out to others and help them to grow.  The Church desperately needs people who can lead, teach, and be worthy examples to follow in the faith. 

     It is not normal for a child of God to not grow up and it's not normal for the church to not grow up.  Don't be part of the problem; be part of the solution.  Grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord daily. 

       I understand that people grow at different rates and in different ways, but what concerns me is the lack of growth in most professing believers today.  Somehow we have bought into the idea that it doesn’t matter, that God is okay with it.  But, He isn’t.  He makes it very clear in His Word that we are to be growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord that we may be holy in the presence of God.

LISTEN TO UNDERSTAND

LISTEN TO UNDERSTAND

Heb. 5:11  There is so much more we would like to say about this.  But you don't seem to listen, so it's hard to make you understand.  NLT

      Are you a good listener, or do you like to talk a lot?  Generally speaking, being a good listener takes work.  Most people would rather talk than listen, even if they don't know what they are talking about.  Most people want to be noticed and talking is one of the best ways to get attention. 

      However, we learn the most when we listen rather than talk.  While we are talking our minds are not thinking or meditating.  We aren't hearing much of anything of significance as long as we are talking.  But when we are listening, we are giving our minds an opportunity to work.  We absorb information and once learned, can find useful applications for it. 

      It is especially important for us to be good listeners when it comes to eternal truths.  We need to learn how to engage our minds when we hear God's Word.  We need to learn how to take what we hear and apply it to our living.  We never gain understanding by not listening.

      We need to learn to listen to God when He speaks to us and His messengers who speak to us.  We need to listen well enough to recognize the voice of God when He speaks to us. 

      The Lord makes it possible for us to understand what we hear, but we must be willing to be still and listen for Him to speak to us.  The fewer distractions we have, the better we will be able to hear.  And, the more we want to hear, the more likely we are to hear.

      God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason.  Those who know how to listen will grow the best in Christ.

APPROACH GOD BOLDLY

APPROACH GOD BOLDLY

Heb. 4:16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.  NLT

      Is there ever a time in which we don't need His mercy and grace? We all need God to withhold from us what we deserve for our sins and give us His wonderful gift of forgiveness and blessings. We all need to stay on God's good side where there is help for us in our struggles with sin. We all need what God has provided and offered to us. No one is able to be accepted by God without His help. No one will be allowed into His presence without His help. Our greatest need is to continuously seek God's help in our daily living.

      Because God has provided all we need to live in victory in Jesus through His Spirit, we are to come boldly into His presence. We are to not hesitate to approach God and ask for His help. We are not to approach Him in fear, because Jesus has taken away our sins and made us approachable to God as His children. We can boldly approach God because we have the right to as His children. We can boldly approach Him because we know that He is able to do whatever needs to be done to help us in our times of need. We can be bold because we know as our Father He will discern between what we need and what we want and only give us those things which we need and are good for us. We can be bold because we know that God is perfect love and will help us to become more and more like Him as we continue to trust Him.

      What an awesome privilege we have! Let us make it a point to take full advantage of it and continuously boldly approach God with all our needs. It is there where we will not only find our help, but also the restoration of our souls. It is there where we will learn to love Him more and how to praise Him more. It is there where we will be equipped to face life victoriously and make an eternal difference in the world in which we live.

     The more in the habit we are in approaching God, the bolder we will become in our approach.  Why?  Because the more time we spend in the presence of God, the more of God’s holiness rubs off on us.  And the more holy we are in heart, the more peace and confidence we will have when approaching Him.

       Approach God boldly, for there is sufficient grace and mercy in Him to see you through whatever you may face in life.

JESUS, LIKE US

JESUS, LIKE US

Heb. 4:14-15 That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. NLT

     We have One in heaven who is on our side. He constantly stands between us and God, presenting himself as our holiness and righteousness. He constantly is there to make sure that we are identified as God's own. He is there for us; therefore, let us cling tightly to Him. Let us never quit trusting Him. Let us never let go of our grip on Him, because if we do, we then have to stand before God on our own, and we simply can't do that.

      Jesus understands what it is like to be human and fight evil. He knows what it is like to have human weaknesses. He knows all about the temptations we face because we live in the flesh. Jesus went through it all. He experienced all the temptations to sin you and I face as we grow up into adulthood. He was not protected against the normal tendencies to sin we all face in life. Yet, Jesus was able to face His temptations without letting them get the best of Him. He never yielded to temptation and became guilty of sin. Therefore, He is qualified to impart his righteousness on us. He alone can make us holy.

      How was He able to never sin? I think there are a lot of reasons that come into play. He had strong, godly parents. He had a very close relationship with God. He paid attention and learned well the ways of God. He had the right attitude towards God in that He wanted to do what was right before Him. Jesus was very perceptive and knew how to withstand temptation from an early age. He also knew the power and ways of Satan and chose not to let him get the upper hand in His life. He learned early on in life the value of prayer. He loved to spend time alone with God. He learned early in life the value of God's Word. He was a student of it and learned how to apply it to His life.

       Yes, Jesus is God.  He has been God before there was anything else but God.  But, in His infinite wisdom, God took upon himself human life.  While on earth, Jesus was fully man, subject to all the temptations, trials of life, and weaknesses we deal with.  It is why we can turn to Him for help; He understands.

      While we are not God, we can learn much from Jesus as to how to overcome our sinfulness. Where there is a will, there is a way to overcome our temptations and tendencies to sin.

      The question is, "Are we willing to live like Jesus did?”  Are we willing to let Him help us daily to be a holy people, a people after God’s own heart?

JESUS: OUR HIGH PRIEST

JESUS: OUR HIGH PRIEST

Heb. 4:15-16 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.  NLT

       Isn’t this the best news you could ever hear?  Jesus, our High Priest, understands our weaknesses!  How is that possible?  How can Jesus, who is God himself, the creator and sustainer of all things who has no beginning or end, understand what it is like to be us?  There is only one way that anyone can understand those things that make us weak and that is to face them himself.  No matter what your weaknesses are, Jesus faced them.  He was tempted to sin just like you are.  He faced the all-out attack of Satan on His soul.  Satan left nothing on the table.  He did his very best to get Jesus to sin when Jesus was the most vulnerable.  Yet, Jesus did not sin.

     We can boldly approach God’s throne asking for His help because Jesus is there for us and understands not only what we are facing, but how to help us not sin.  We can boldly face God with our weaknesses knowing that there is help for us that is sufficient for our needs.  It doesn’t get any better than this!

      When we take to God all that tempts us, we find mercy and grace to help us.  God does not leave us hanging.  We are not turned away because we are weak; we are given help to overcome.  We are not punished for being weak; we are given mercy.  We find in Christ strength in His grace to overcome. Don’t delay.  There is help for you today and every day in the presence of God.  There is never a day or moment in life whereby you don’t need Jesus’ help to overcome your weaknesses.  Won’t you let Him help you?  Wise is he who calls upon the name of the Lord before his weaknesses surface and haunts his soul. 

GOD'S LIVING WORD

GOD’S LIVING WORD

Heb. 4:12-13 For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are. Nothing in all creation can hide from him. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes. This is the God to whom we must explain all that we have done.  NLT

       Don't underestimate the power of God's Word to change the soul and do not take it for granted. If we allow it to do what it does naturally, we will be constantly changing into a people more like God, a people after His own heart. There is no part of our souls that is beyond the reach of the Word. No matter how deep the sin or hurt may be, God's Word can reach it and make it well. If we are open to what God says, we will hear what we need to hear in order for us to be healthy and whole.

      Also, don't underestimate the power of God's Word to penetrate the most seemingly hardened soul. Our role is not to give up on people, no matter who they are or what they have done. We must pursue them with God's Word. If we can't do it physically, we certainly can do it spiritually. We can take the Word we hear and pray it over the lost. We can claim the promises of God to forgive and embrace all those who turn to Him over them. We can take God's Word and pray for it over those who can't or won't pray for themselves.

      We must never take the Word for granted. We must learn it, digest it, and share it. Let the Lord worry about the application of it. It never returns to Him empty-handed. It will always accomplish the purpose for which it is sent. He will use it, but He can't if we don't get it off the table and use it.

God’s word is alive in the person of Jesus Christ.  He is the Word of God fleshed out.  He fulfilled the law of God by showing us how to live by it, in His righteousness and not our own.  The Word of God is His living Word.  It is our pathway to God.

      God's Word is full of living power for all who will read it, meditate upon it, and seek to live it. It is not just a book about God, it is our lifeblood to God. Let God release His power in you through His Word today.

GOD'S PENETRATING WORD

GOD’S PENETRATING WORD

Heb. 4:12-13 For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are. Nothing in all of creation can hide from him. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes. This is the God to whom we must explain all that we have done.  NLT

      The reason why we should make spending time in God’s Word a priority in our lives is that it is full of living power.  When we come underneath the scrutiny of the Word, we are moved to address issues in our lives that need to be changed.  We are cut to the heart and our sinful thoughts and deeds are exposed.  The Spirit convicts us so that we might change and serve the Lord with pure hearts.  The Word always demands more of us than we demand of ourselves.  We need to know what God knows about us.  We need to know our sinful thoughts and deeds so that we might repent of them and have pure hearts. 

      God knows all about us.  He knows those things which are hidden from the eyes of man, including our own eyes.  He strips away our own righteousness so that we may take on the righteousness of Christ.  God exposes our sins now so that when we stand before Him, we will not have to fear that our sins will be exposed then and be judged.  It is God’s Word that exposes our sins.  Anyone who is sincere about their faith will be sincere about the time they spend in the Word.

      It is far better to listen to God’s voice now and repent than to ignore it and have to explain to Him later why we didn’t do it.  It is not too late to come under the scrutiny of God’s Word and live under its authority over us.  Today you have the opportunity to submit to God and make His Word a priority in your life.  Please don’t pass up the opportunity.  You will regret it if you do. No sin is worth trying to hide or hang on to. 

       Let God’s Word penetrate deep into your soul.